Tuesday, May 22, 2012

All PA Dems have now disaffiliated from ALEC

The last Democratic
member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly with ties to ALEC has announced he
is no longer affiliated with them. This is the 18th announcement of
disaffiliation from ALEC by a PA legislator.

ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, is behind the
efforts to pass bills that strip away union rights, scale back child labor
laws, attack the regulation power of environmental agencies, suppress voter
rights with strict identification requirements, eliminate the social safety
net, and privatize public services. ALEC is not just another public policy
organization, it is a corporate front group supporting some of the most radical
and dangerous legislation in the nation.

The eighteen
legislators come from both major parties, with ten Democrats and eight
Republicans separating from ALEC. All legislators listed as being
affiliated with ALEC have documented ties, either publicly stating their prior
affiliation or from public documents (Right to Know Law documents, DOS campaign
finance reports, or PA Ethics filings).

The defections have come after Keystone Progress supporters sent tens of thousands of faxes, letters and emails to PA Senators and Representatives. An additional 45 legislators have told Keystone Progress that they have never been affiliated with ALEC.